Senior Investigations Officer Reference number : 433169 Salary : £41,220 - £45,400 Contract type : Permanent Working pattern : Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time, Compressed hours Location : Northern Ireland, West Midlands (England) Job summary Do you have experience and knowledge of environmental regulations and of UK environmental law? Do you have experience in gathering evidence and analysing complex information to reach conclusions and recommendations? Do you want to play a role in helping the OEP achieve its mission to protect and improve the environment? We are looking for a Senior Investigations Officer to join our investigations team and manage a portfolio of cases relating to potential breaches of environmental law. The successful candidate will be responsible for the full life cycle of their caseload, from initial contact and engagement with public authorities and stakeholders, to complex analysis of evidence and developing recommendations to resolve cases. The Office for Environmental Protection (the OEP) mission is to protect and recover the environment. Created by the Environment Act 2021, our role is to hold Government and public bodies to account. The OEP do this in several ways including reporting on progress against environmental targets, advising on changes to environmental laws and receiving complaints from the public which can lead to us taking enforcement action. This role sits within the Regulatory Directorate, which is responsible for delivery of key functions as set out in the Environment Bill. These are monitoring, investigating, and enforcing the implementation of environmental Law, and advising the government on the development of Law and other matters relating to the natural environment. With a total staff of just over 80, we are a dynamic, friendly and flexible organisation covering both England, Northern Ireland, and environmental matters reserved to the UK government. We offer flexible working arrangements, high profile, dynamic work and the chance to have an impact on improving the state of the environment. To find out more about the OEP, what we do, who we are and our current work,. The OEP is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra in England and DAERA in Northern Ireland which means it operates independently from Defra. Our employees are public servants and as part of the benefits package, employees have the opportunity to enrol in the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Job description The OEP Complaints and Investigations team prioritises, manages, and investigates complaints about alleged breaches of environmental law by public authorities. The advertised role sits within the Investigations function, which oversees the development, maintenance and application of the OEPs approach to investigating potential breaches of environmental law, and takes the lead on progressing investigations that have been prioritised through our assessment process. The Complaints and Investigations teams work closely, cooperatively and flexibly, agreeing priorities and resource allocations across all of their areas. The role holder will be responsible for leading on the assessment of complex complaints to determine whether formal investigation is an appropriate remedy, and for progressing those investigations to resolution. As such the successful candidate will be competent in analysing large amounts of information, identifying solutions and negotiating with public authorities to agree suitable remedies. Where a suitable solution cannot be found, they may also need to support the OEP legal team with further enforcement action. The role holder will; Assist the complaint handlers, as required, with the receipt and assessment of complaints to the OEP by the team. Contribute to the maintenance and evolution of the OEP Investigation and Enforcement processes Develop and maintain collaborative working practices with other OEP departments to identify possible cases for investigation in line with the OEP Complaints and Enforcement procedure and the OEP Strategy. Assess the seriousness and priority of those cases, recommending which should proceed through to investigation and the suggested approach to take in each instance. Conduct investigations into serious cases, managing the relationship with the relevant public authority, making recommendations to managers around remedies, serving information notices where approved to do so, and drafting investigation reports. Produce final investigation reports for approval and publication on completed investigations and report on investigation activity. Support the OEP legal team with enforcement action that the OEP undertakes e.g. Decision Notices, Environmental Review. Support the Principal Investigations Manager with stakeholder (e.g. environmental regulators, Ombudsmen and NGOs) and media engagement in relation to the complaints and enforcement activities as needed. The above list of job duties is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post. Benefits Alongside your salary of £41,220, Office for Environmental Protection contributes £11,941 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Leave and Flexible Working The OEP offers 25 days annual leave rising to 30 days over 5 years for all new entrants. Additional paid leave is available where necessary to cater for a variety of situations including, but not limited to, family-related leave, volunteering days, exam and study leave, public duties and trade union activities. In addition, we offer a generous enhanced maternity leave, parental leave and shared parental leave policy. The OEP is supportive of flexible working and has a flexible working policy to allow for variations in individuals working hours where this is compatible with business need. Staff Wellbeing Staff wellbeing is extremely important and the OEP strives to provide access to numerous resources to aid the wellbeing of its employees. Current initiatives include: Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providing free and confidential 24/7 telephone advice and guidance to support employees with both personal and employment issues. This may include personal wellbeing, career development or legal matters such as landlord / tenant disputes. Access to an Occupational Health Service to provide a range of support service to help with the way you feel at work. Access to trained Mental Health First Aiders and wider Defra Group mental health first aid network and resources. Free access to Headspace, a mindfulness, meditation and sleep app. Access to a Financial Wellbeing Portal. Free eye tests and a contribution to glasses/ lenses if required for VDU use. Location and Office Attendance All OEP roles are based in Worcester and/ or Northern Ireland. This role can be based in Worcester or Northern Ireland. All GB employees will be contractually based at the Worcester office. The OEP embraces a blended working model and supports a combination of office and home working which will be dependent on business need and individual circumstances. Our current office attendance approach requires 40% attendance in one of the OEP offices or on official OEP business at offsite meetings with partners and customers. This approach enables thriving workplaces to connect with colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs balanced with personal flexibility and choice. If GB based, travel and subsistence will not be paid for travel to the Worcester office. Employees based in Northern Ireland will be contractually home based. There will be an expectation of travel to Worcester but this will be dependent on business need and individual circumstances. As a guideline, its envisaged that travel to Worcester would be between 4 and 6 times a year, fully funded by the OEP. However, travel will be a 2-way commitment, with other OEP staff members being expected to travel to NI at a similar frequency.?Northern Ireland based staff currently have access to a touch down space in Belfast to enable collaborative working. Criminal Record Check In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service or Access NI on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing & stating the job reference number in the subject heading. Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 19th November 2025.